Anticipated future of Latvia and Russia during a global economic crisis: A mixed methods perspective
This cross-cultural study explored subjective predictors of more positive evaluation of the future of the country during a global socioeconomic crisis. A sequential mixed-method design was chosen for an exploration of students? expectations in Russia and Latvia as countries contrasting in macro-contextual conditions. In 2009, Study 1 was designed as a thematic analysis of essays on topic ?The Future of Latvia/Russia?. The results demonstrated that the future of a country is anticipated by taking into account external influences, the present of the country, and its perceived power and stability. In 2011, Study 2 involved these themes as independent variables in a multiple regression model. T…
The Sense of Belonging to the Country: Integrative Relationships and Spatiotemporal Commitment
The satisfaction of the need to belong reflects in the sense of being an integrative part of the group or social system. There is some lack of empirical evidence for the structure of this sense at the macro level. This study assessed a two-dimensional model of the sense of belonging to the country, which included relational and spatiotemporal components. Participants were 539 university students from 18 to 50 (74% females). Questions regarding involvement, perceived acceptance, sense of commonality, and feeling at home represented the relational component of the sense of belonging. Four temporal categories—the recent past, present, and the near and distant future—were included in the assess…
Clinical characteristics of COVID-19 patients in Latvia under low incidence in Spring 2020
ABSTRACTBackgroundCOVID-19 is a new infectious disease with severe disease course and high mortality in some groups. Blood tests on admission to the hospital can be useful for stratification of patients and timely correction. Our study investigated the clinical features of COVID-19 patients in Latvia and differences in blood tests in groups with different disease severity.MethodsThe retrospective study included 100 patients hospitalized in Riga East Clinical University Hospital in Spring 2020. The severity of the disease course was classified by the presence of pneumonia and its combination with respiratory failure. We have assessed blood cells’ count, hemoglobin, hematocrit, erythrocyte se…
DEVELOPING AND MEASURING ATTENTION IN BOXERS: MIXED COACHES’ EXPERTISE AND REACTION TIME MEASURES
This study explored the problem of attention and its development in young boxers. A rapidly changing situation and a high level of traumatization in boxing are demanding the development of athletes’ attention. Focusing on technical or motivational training is among the reasons for underestimating the development of attentional skills. Study 1 involved seven expert coaches (males, mean age 45.4, mean working experience 20.3 years). The results revealed a relatively high assessment of the psychological component of training and a low agreement on the development of attentional skills. Coaches indicated that testing is the best measurement of attention. Study 2 focused on the measurement of re…
Burnout Clinical Subtypes Questionnaire (BCSQ-36): reliability and validity study in Latvia
The study aimed to test the validity of the burnout subtypes hierarchic model operationalized by the 'Burnout Clinical Subtypes Questionnaire' (BCSQ-36) and its applicability in other cultures. To that aim psychometric properties, factorial and convergent validity regarding the Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey (MBI-GS), and correlation with demographic factors were reviewed. A voluntary internet-based approach was used on a multi-occupational sample of adult Latvians (n = 394). The results of the internal consistency of the Latvian version of the BCSQ-36 exceeded .89 for all three subtypes. The CFA was used to test a hierarchical factorial model, and the analysis revealed an accep…
Childhood abuse experiences, depression and dissociation symptoms in relation to suicide attempts and suicidal ideation
This study aimed to examine associations between suicide attempts (SA), suicidal ideation (SI), depression, dissociative symptoms, emotional abuse, physical abuse and sexual abuse, and to explore predictors of SA and SI, as well as possible mediating factors. We also aimed to examine support for a dissociative depression subgroup. Participating in this study were 342 adults, of these were 138 respondents with a diagnosis of depression (DG), and 204 respondents comprising a community sample (CS). Respondents completed the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale - Revised (CESD-R), Childhood Trauma Questionnaire - Short Form (CTQ-SF), and Dissociative Experience Scale (DES). All but…
Sense of belonging to Latvia in Latvian- and Russian-speaking residents of Latvia
This study examined the sense of belonging to Latvia in Latvian-speaking and Russianspeaking residents of Latvia. The structural model involved opportunities for the fulfillment of personal goals and views of the situation in Latvia and the community as predictors of the sense of belonging at both levels of ecological systems. The Russianspeaking subsample consisted of 202 students ranging in age from 18 to 36 (65% females). The Latvian-speaking subsample involved 438 students ranging in age from 18 to 37 (67% females). The Sense of Belonging in Social Context Questionnaire and the Future of Country Questionnaire were applied. Belonging to community predicted belonging to Latvia in both gro…
UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ GROWTH GOALS, OPPORTUNITIES FOR GOAL FULFILLMENT, AND PERCEIVED UNIVERSITY AND MESOSYSTEM SUPPORT
This study assessed the relationship between students’ growth goals and perceived opportunities to achieve these goals in Latvia and the perceived support from the university and the mesosystem. Socialization models emphasize that the setting of personal goals occurs in continuous interaction with the sociocultural context, which includes perceived opportunities to achieve these goals and the interpersonal environment. Both – perceived support from close people (mesosystems) and perceived support from the university – are significant for students. The study involved 432 university students between 18 and 49. We have assessed the extent to which students’ goals regarding education, work, and…
Prediction of Distant Educational Goals by Goals in Other Domains and Perceived Contextual Opportunities
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 150%;" lang="en-US"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Lifelong learning is linked to successful economic participation</span></span><span style="color: #0000ff;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">. </span></span><em><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">At the same time, individual activities are framed by contextual opportunities for education and occupation.</span></span></em><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-fami…
Age-related trends of lesser pelvic architecture in females and males: a computed tomography pelvimetry study
The pelvis and the spine form a system balancing human skeleton. Within this system, the pelvis adapts to age-related changes in the spine. Previous studies were predominantly focused on changes of pelvic parameters in the sagittal plane. The aim of this study was to reveal age-related changes of lesser pelvic dimensions at different levels of the pelvic cavity in the sagittal and coronal planes and to explore sexual dimorphism in age-related tendencies. The computed tomography pelvimetry was performed on the three-dimensional workstation. The research sample included 211 females aged 18 to 84 years and 181 males aged 18 to 82 years, who underwent an examination at the Riga East University …
Sense of country: General and specific factors covary with social identification and predict emigration plans
Theoretical analyses of person–environment interaction describe complex models, addressing different levels of social systems, while models of the sense of community provide a base for transferring views of this interaction to the national level. This paper presents two studies that explored the structure of the sense of country and its relation to emigration plans and social identification. Study 1 involved 1,005 adults from Latvia. The Sense of Country Inventory (SOCI) included influence, perceived opportunities, belonging, and spatiotemporal commitment as the components of this sense. The bifactor model demonstrated the best fit and confirmed the general factor, integrating components of…